Chapter Thirty-Seven
Gwyn
I mpatience and lust had me thinking I was just going to pile everything on the bed so we could skip to getting what I wanted, but once I felt the soft fabrics under my palms, instinct kicked in. It wasn’t as strong of a drive as it would have been if I was fully in heat, but the act of building a nest as an alpha waited, my alpha, brought me closer to falling into my cycle.
I sorted through the pile of bedding Carl brought me, feeling the fabric and testing the fluffiness of the pillows. Part of me craved the blankets from my home, old favorites worn soft over the years, but there was still enough sense left to know I needed to make do with what I had in front of me.
Once I had the sheets sorted, I used the ones I liked the least to pad the mattress where Carl’s claws had left gouges. I probably should have been scared at the proof of his lack of control, but my omega side was calm, trusting this alpha more than I’d ever trusted Anthony.
After folding and positioning the lower quality bedding, I picked the sheet I wanted as the bottom layer of my nest and pushed the rest over the edge. When I struggled to get the fitted sheet over a corner of the bed, Carl stepped forward to help, and while I’d always snarled at Anthony when he tried to interfere, the same calm remained, warmth flaring in my chest as traces of his scent were left behind where he’d touched the fabric.
“Here.”
I reached over the side of the bed to snatch one of the blankets I’d tossed off, hitting him in the chest with it when I balled it up and launched it at him.
“Mark it.”
I wasn’t as demanding as I could have been, but I still glared at Carl’s smirk until he complied, pulling his shirt over his head before rubbing the fabric across his chest. My mouth went dry at the sight of all the rippling muscle covered in salt and pepper hair, wanting to drag my fingers through it, but my focus snapped back when he dropped the blanket on the bed.
“Again. All of it.”
I threw another sheet at him from the pile on the floor before scooting over to take the one already smelling of him, taking a deep whiff. The muscles of my belly that had been cramping more and more frequently relaxed, and a shiver rolled through my body.
While I knew our plan had been to trigger my heat, and my cycle was close enough we wouldn’t really be able to avoid it, part of me was glad I was still coherent enough in the moment to be able to remember it later. I’d spent half my life both glad I had no memories of Anthony claiming me, and wondering if I’d have been able to stop him if I’d somehow managed to retain some control during my first heat, but I wanted to be aware when Carl made me his.
With a new fire burning inside me, I worked to get the nest just right. Carl rubbed the bedding on his chest and neck, leaving his scent behind until I was drowning in smokey chocolate and sweet marshmallows, the hint of graham crackers almost lost beneath the intensity of the slick steadily leaking from my core. I didn’t need to be in heat to be wet and ready for Carl.
Fluffing another pillow into place, I sat back on my heels and surveyed the nest. Carl waited patiently at the foot of the bed, nothing left for him to mark but me, and my skin buzzed with anticipation.
It was time.
Crawling to the end of the mattress, I held my hand out and let Carl help me from the bed. Although he’d removed his shirt and kicked off his boots at some point, he still wore his jeans, and I was fully dressed.
“There are far too many clothes between us.”
My words seemed to kick him into gear, and he was grabbing the bottom of my shirt before I had the chance to finish drawing a breath. I lifted my arms to let him pull it from me and reached for the button on his jeans, but he reached for mine at the same time and we ended up blocking each other, a rough laugh leaving his chest before his fingers curled around my wrists.
“Just let me do it. It’s time for you to sit back and allow someone else to take care of things for a while.”
Warmth spread in my chest and tears pooled in the corners of my eyes despite the smile he caused. My gut reaction was to resist, but I let my arms drop to the sides so he could pop the button and unzip my jeans. As hard as I’d fought to do things myself, it was a relief to have someone who wanted to do things for me for once.
Kneeling in front of me, Carl hooked his fingers over the top of my pants and underwear all together, peeling them down at a measured pace. He pressed kisses to my lower belly, then the tops of my thighs, moving lower the farther down he pushed the denim.
My core clenched, the scent of my desire stronger without the barrier of clothing. My clit throbbed, wanting his mouth closer, but he stopped his kisses to brace the back of my knee and lift my foot to remove the pants leg before doing the same on the other side.
Between the vibrations of his motorcycle and his thoughtful tending, I was already buzzing with the need to come. I reached out to run my fingers over his head, tempted to pull him closer to where I wanted him, but he stood before I could.
The look in his eyes and the smirk on his lips said he knew where my thoughts had gone, but my attention was drawn down as his hands moved to his own jeans. My tongue slipped out to wet my lips as I watched him unbutton, then unzip, the bulge beneath the fabric unmissable.
He shucked his pants far faster than he’d removed mine, but my focus was locked on the erection jutting towards me, my mouth watering as the musk of his precum hit me. He was just as ready as I was, his shaft twitching as I watched, and I was itchy with the need to do something besides stand there. I reached for him but he batted my hand away, letting out a laugh at my gasp as my gaze swung up to his face.
“Patience.”
A quiet growl spilled from my throat, instincts driving my irritation at the alpha denying me what I wanted.
“I’m out of patience. Why don’t you fill me up?”
His pupils expanded, the grin falling off his face as he reached for me. His arms slid around my back, my breasts pressing against his chest as his fingers worked the hooks of my bra, but I was hyper aware of how he kept his hips pulled away so his cock didn’t touch me.
“I plan to fill you to overflowing, but not just yet.”
His warm breath stirred the hairs on my neck as he whispered into my ear, sending a shiver down my spine that had my nipples tight and aching as he freed them. I didn’t even pay attention to what he did with my last article of clothing, only concerned with closing the gap between us after he removed it.
I clung to his shoulders, trying to move my hips forward so I could feel the length of him against me, but he reached down and scooped me up into a bridal carry again before I could.
“I want you to claim me.”
There was more whine in my demand than I was proud of, but I was tired of waiting. Tired of denying myself or being denied by others. I wanted that connection, deep inside, that made my omega side feel like I had a purpose.
“You’re mine, Gwyn, but I want to do this right. Just a few more moments.”
I almost whimpered as he moved me further from the heat of his chest, his arms leaving me as he deposited me in the center of my nest. I instantly curled my legs under me, rising to reach for him, but his step back made me freeze.
Gorgeous green eyes locked onto mine, the expression on his face stopping me from having a meltdown. He was so intense, but a hint of fear sparked deep in those emerald orbs, and my breath caught even before he spoke.
“Invite me into your nest, omega. Give me permission to make you mine.”
My heart swelled, emotions rising to clog my throat. Alphas were supposed to have an omega’s permission to claim them, it was against the law to mark them without it being decided prior to the onset of a cycle, but it was so hard to prove when alphas took without asking. I’d never, in all the years I’d been tied to him, invited Anthony into my nest, and he’d never asked my permission to claim me.
“Yes. Please. I want to be yours.”
I reached for him again, his hand finding mine as my vision swam with tears. Tugging, I moved my feet from under me, pulling him into position over my body.
“Cover the scars, please. I don’t want to see his anymore.”
Anthony had bitten me multiple times, leaving rough, uneven blemishes on both sides of my neck, to the point that they didn’t even look like bite marks. Even though I hadn’t wanted the claim in the first place, the ugliness of what he’d left on my flesh had bothered me for years. I’d attempted to hide them with makeup at one point, but the rage he’d flown into and the new scars he’d added had made me never try to cover them again, even after he was gone.
Now I wanted every bit of him erased.
“Gwyn, it might hurt to—”
“I don’t care! I only want to see your marks!”
A rough growl vibrated from his chest, making my nipples tighten further. The cramps were growing more painful, and I was sweating despite the coolness of the room. After building my nest I was truly on the verge, and all I wanted was to feel him inside me in all ways, filling my core and my heart.
Carl shifted to move down my body, but I resisted, wanting him to complete the act right then, until memory reminded me this wouldn’t be like last time. He had to be in his were-form, which was larger than he already was, and as slick as I was, it might be too soon to try to take him like that.
“Let me take care of you. I promise I’m not going anywhere, and I don’t want to hurt you.”
The tension around my chest eased and I sucked in a breath full of him, giving a tiny nod before relaxing my arms from where I’d hooked them beneath his. My legs were already spread around his hips, but he pushed them wider, making space for his shoulders as he settled on his stomach.
“You’ve smelled divine since I met you, but you’re fucking mouthwatering now. So sweet and ripe.”
He leaned closer, taking in a noisy drag of my scent right from the most intense source.
“I’m going to lick you until you shatter, and then I’m going to fuck this pretty little pussy until it’s loose enough to take my were-cock.”
I didn’t have time to think about his filthy words before his mouth was on me, his tongue working up my center from my entrance to my clit. Extra sensitive from the hormones of my cycle, my hips jerked, trying to both retreat from the sudden sensation, and seek more of it.
Carl didn’t waste any time, curling his arms around and gripping the inside of my thighs to hold me open, exactly where he wanted me. An easy shift had my hips canted to give him better access, his mouth sealing over my entire core as his tongue circled my little nub, his beard tickling along my crease. He’d learned exactly what it took to drive me crazy, and exactly how far he needed to push me to get me over the edge.
And he stopped just short.